Rail-joint.



H. P. ROAGH.

BAIL JOINT.

urmourum nun 1un. a. 190a.

Patented Api'. 12,1910.

H. F. ROAGH.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLIGA'IION nun) 1uums, 190a.

Patented Apr. 12,1910.

8 SHIIBTS-BHEIJT 2.

H. F. ROAH.

RAIL JINT.

APILIOATION FILED HAB s was.

954,590. Patented Apr. 12, 1910 3 SHEETS*SHEET 3.

zum! F. nahen, F

PATENT OFFICE.

ST. LOUIS, MISEOURI.

RAIL-JOIN1 Applicafion flleii March Patented Am. 12, 19110. 19'082 m'ai1% 451,970.

' vertieal can be chipped ofipr cut away ezpsil'yWiien sai d member isBeiflg' ihstnlled so us to sccurc a perfect fit between sai(l member andthe 1a11s und thus produoe a stifi und rigid miljoint.

Another object-is t0 provide u subslantial und s't1'0ng rail-joint tlmtcomprises membe1s Whi'c h are S0 conslructcd that they will holdinsditin' inaterial securely in position and thus pex ectly insulate thernil from the mcans thut coiiie@ts the rails together.

Othor objects afid dcsirable fcatures 0f my invention will behereinafter pointed out.

Fi um 1 of tl1e drawin s 1s a side elemtiona view of a suspen (adInil-j0intmmbodying in invention; Fig. 2 is top plun view partfy inhorizontal section 0f the mem rs shown in Fig. l; Fig. 3 i.s a sideeleVat.innal view 0f the member that suppoi'iS the rails and carriestlxe wlycels over the joint between tl1e rails; Fig. 4 is a verticalsectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1; Fi 5 is a verticalsectional view taken on the ine 55 0f Fig. 1 Fig. 6 is a verticalsectionai view taken 01x the line (5-6 of Fig. l; Fig. 7 is apeTspective view 0f my improved railjoint embodied in a construction inwhich the rails are insulated from the means that connects them toether; Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view cf a s ightly modified fprm ofmy invention; Fig. 9 is a s'ide elevational view of a supported miljointembodying my invention; Fi 10 is a to lan view partly in horizontasection, of the parts simwn m Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a side (alevationalview of the rail-supporting und embracing member shown in .Fig. 10; Fig.12 is a vert-icnl sectinnal view taken onthe*lina 12-12 cf Fig. 9; andFig. 13ds a se actional view taken on the- I'ma 13-13 of Fig; 9.

ReferringifiFigs. 1 to 50f the dmwmgs which illustratam inventiohembodiedqn a suspended rail-jomt, A designa.tes=a: metal member that comrises a sup ort or b:i.se

portionl 011 w'hio the, bas:anges of the 100 abutting rails 2 rast,.saidj inember A also cum rismg a vvheel-traadpoxgtpn 3hat axsid6 withintegral depending tapere'dflnges 110 Jim providod with a pluralit theup er side of tho overlapping portion 6 -of Saul member when said ca sare driven inwardly', the' ca )s being provi ed with holes through Whicht 1e ends of the bolts gioject. After the caps have beon positione upon;the nuts cotber keys 19 am inserted in the boltsto prey*ent the o apsfrom moving outwurdly. In view of the fut that the caps of spurs or"prqe'ctions 17. und the mem er A is providedgvith a plurallt ofcoporatiflg shoulders r'iotches 18, t1e nuts can alwayS he adjust ed in21 position to cause the projections 011 the caps to enga e thccoperating shoulders on the member "I prefer to use nut-lockin devioesof tho oonstruction above describe but it will, of oour'se, be obvlonsthat various other t ypes of nut locks could be used in my rail-;oint

; Wilhout departing from tho spirit m my ih- 'Tlie-memlipglA bearsagainst ono side of thmlil"and lln1s braces them against latoralnibfiomefifin one dixection, und as the lzyase fla "es du the other sichof the xails are engaged y spilqs 8" that am driven into the track fies,the ruzls could not movo laterally in oither directin even if the bollsshoul l beoome disiflaced.

A I grefer to provide the innorface ol": l.lm mein er A with bearingribs 20, as shown in Fig. 3, that can be chipped ofl" or cut awayslightly in case tlxe rails do not fit snugly insidc of said momber,said ribs being a ptod to bear against tlxe verlical 'vebs 0 the mils.Fillers o1 slxims 21 comsisting of thin strips of metal, can also beinserted betwtaen the' base flangos olf the railsund the baso 1 undoverlapping ortion 6 cf the xnembr A to secure a tigi'1t fit be tweonthe said mem ber and rails. This also makes lt possible fordiflerentheights of rai1s t0 be fittd in the same spme by shims. When I say.di'fierent heights'l mean u Sl.illt difl'erence' of tlxe same spposedstand ar hoight occasioned by an egror in mann: facturc on the part ofthe' rrfanulacturor of -the rolled steel ruils and valso dn aocount ofan error in the manufzietre of the cast ing. After th e shirhs 21 haveboep arran ed in osition they can be bent downwa1%ly betwen lugs 11 thatpr0ject ltefally beyoi'id the edge of ;lhe base 1,-thus locking sai(lshims 1mp0sition. 'Ihd inx1erfimoe cf the menibor A is also rovided withguido lugs 11" M; th'fpoint w ere the 0VerlapPing perfion 6 iscoQnqctedtd the base so as to rovent .the sh1tns irom being disfxlacedat so formed that it will permit a perfect, Hut, 0x double-flangedwlzeel to pass over the joint without subjecting the rollin stock to apcrceptible perpend1oular shoc or jur, the lerm doblo-flanged being usodto designate a whee'l whose tread surface has become worn bo such adegreethat. it is approximately concaved or channel-shaped In crosssection, as shown in broken linkes in Fig. 4. This feature of myinvention is illustrated clearly in Figs. 2, 4, 5 and 6, and reforringto said figures it will bc soen that: the top face or wheel-troadsurface of tho member 3 is of greatest width adjacent the joint betweenthe rails and thence diminlshos gradually in width toward its qppositeonds,

incl1ned plane at the ends of sairl member,

thus producing a wheel-lread surface of varying angularity. In othe1words, tho wlxeel-tread surfaco of the member 3 twists gradu'ally froman inclined surface at euch end of said member into an approximatelyhorizontal surface at the center of said membor, so (hat Wl1en adouble-flanged wheel reaches the member 3 ib Will pass onto sinnewithout a perce]tible vertical shock 0r j:n and be shifted lo1grally bythe gradual variation in tho sha 30 ofthe wheel-head surface of the memer 3. lt will thus be seen that the wheel-trcacl surface of the membe1 3not only forms a substantial supporting surface for a wheel while it ispassmg ovor the joini, but said wheel-tread surface also acts as a guideto cause a doublo-flanged wheel to be graduall shifted latera'lly.Another advanta e in orming the wheel-tread sffaoe of t o member 3 inthis manner is tlrat the ends of tl1e inclined corner 22 commenco in alower horizontal laue than the treiaid of the rails, so thal; t1e headsof the ra'ils so elosely thatth friction tends to Wen! said flange away.The inclined oorner or sge 22 on the member 3 divergs from t-he ra1 l,-as shoivvn -in Fi 2, und when an abndrxfia'lljr flangod o1 gu teredWheel approaahes tlie joint the guter flange of the.wheel will c(mt actwith the Qcorner 22 und thus cause tli' wheel t igradually shiftlaterally as it travals over t 1e ioint.

Thc wlxee -tread portion 3 confm'ms t0 the sidc fuce of thu rnil heudsso that a wide 5 joint will n0t be formed betwecn said arts,

und the pzut of snicl whuul-trend portion lluxt lups over the rail headsis notclxed 0nt ut 23 znljncent the joint betwevn Hie rails so (hat tlw1nclal in saidwhcel-trcml portion will nut be j:nnmcd into sind jointund llms prevnt tl1e ruils from cxpanding. "lhe metal nt tl|e r mr 0ftlxe notch is ruised sliglitly so as L0 arovide n raisecl bearinqsurfpce for the wlmel am] tl1ns prevent it fmm julnping when it passesiover the notcln From ilxe fore oing it will bc seen that my improvedl'illfj0ll'll; men1ber A provides u bcur1ng surfnce for a wheel ns itnasses um! tlxc joint betwen two ubutting 1'ails und tlius prevents thewhcel fron1 hammering tl1e ends of the rails. lt also accommoduteseither pcrfect, flat, o1 imperfect wheels und grudually sliifts animperfect wl1eel laterally so 'tlmt tl1e treml thereof will bcar np0n awide beuring snrface that extends auross tl1e joint. Conscqnently, ljnyimproved miljoint makes it possiblo t successfully usc vcr y long rails,such, for exhmple, as sixtyfut rails, for lhe ter1nin&ls 0f said railscan be spaced fr enongh apart t0 provide for the excessive expansion andcontraction of rails of this length, owingto the faCt tlxat tlxewl1eelis carried uver tlxe joint bv a wheel-treml nm1uber which is sodesizned tl1at it will acconnnodate cilher p'erfect, ilat,

or dduble-flanged wheels. It provides 11 rigid Support fur tlxebnseflanges 0f the rails und transmits the load to suid support byotl1e1 lneans llmn tl1o rails, thereby reducing H10 strains on the railslllltl protlucing practically a continnous ruil fox tlxe joint is stiilvertically und also luterally. It also eliminutes longitudinal strainsontl1e bolts lhut retuin the splice members in position for tlle wessnre0f the wheel 011 the wlicoltreu portion 3 tends -to force said portion,und also tl1e web 7 und ovurlapping portion 6 of the member A, inwardlytoward the longitudinal center uf lhu rails. That is to say, in In} imn'm'ud cum-struction tl1c rails reston a s0lid base 01' snpport 1WlllCll lms a wheel-trezul po1'tiun 3 cqnnected t0 one udge thereof bythe overlup aing portion 6 und tl1e verticnl web 7 so 'tlu1t unydownwal'd tlxrnst 01 load on said wheel-trcad portion will tongl tofoxce it, tighl:ly aguinst the rails lwuansc Hin overlapping po.rtiqn 6is integrally cunnectvd to tl1e outer edgh o'f tl1e base at a eint,outsidc oftl1e duwnwnrd tl1rnst on t e wheel-trend portion.

Still unotlier desimble feature 'of 1ny improVed construction is thattl1e -whrnhtroud purtion of the membcr A projects laterally over thenuts on the bolts und thus Urotocls saidnuts from 0il und other liquidsl;lmt

drip fxm caxs and whicl1 would have an injuriou's efl'ect 0n the nuls.This laberally projccting portion 3 on the member A also prevents aderailed \vlxeel or an elemenl; of tl1e eq'uipmant of the car fromcoming in contact with the nnts und shearing them 01T tl1e bolts.

Annlhcl' very desirable feature of my cpn shllcllon is ll1at it enablesthe ruils to be purfuctl v insnlatud fmm tl1e rail-joint ineml;01's undstill prodnces a rail-jolnt tliat is mucl1 stronger und morv substantialthan tlxose tlmt havv heretofore been in use. Referring in l ig. 7\\'hicl1 illustrates this feature of my invention, 25 designates a piacaof imnlnting nmtvrial (hat is molded so as t0 confnr1n to the inner faceof the member A, und 20 'dvsignatos u piece of insulatirxg nmlvrinl thntis inlerposed between the rails und lllL fish plate 13, tlxe pieCe ofinsulnting nmlminl 25 preferubly projcctin sll tly ul)0\'u lhu nppvredge of the wenn er i as illo\\'ll in Fig. T, so tbut t l1e wheel willnul; be:nupon 01 contactwitli the member A. lt is nut absolntulynecessar 'y llowevgar, thut 9 tliu insu'luling'1nalurial slmuld projectabove the nmwr edge of the member A f0r a wheel cuuld benr upon one ofthe railsand also 011 tlw 1ncxnber A witl1uut bringing'g ihe uther ruilinto circnit owing to tl1e fast that a pivce of insulnting inuluriul isinterposed betweeu tl1e on(ls 0f tl1e t\\o rails. The bolts 14 and alsothe l1eads and nu ts 0f said bolts ale insulnled from tho'fish pl-uteund from the melnber A by insnluting sleves 27 pro- \'idv l Williflnnges ugninst wllich the heads und the l mts of tlie bolts bear,nnd apiece of insulntingmutcrial 28can be inlerposed betwcun (l1o abnttingencls of the ruils. After tl1e pmts luwe bqen arranged in position andtl1e nuts on the bolts fightened it willbe im- 1J0ssil)le for any of theinsnlating material to wurk l0ose ur become displaced.

In Figs. 9 to 13, inclusivc, I haveshown m v invcntion cmbodied in a suported railjoint; namely a joint in whic1 a track tie B i lm-ulomlnnderneath tl1e terminuls of the abulting ruils. In this form thc memberA is provided Will} a base 31 that is coimected h) ll1'e tie by suitablefnstening devices, the 115 vertivul web 37 of said membex und l;he rail4 flnnge bwuing portion 36 projecting later allv from'each side 0f thebase longitudinally of the rails, ES shovvn in Figfs. 9, 10 and 11. Thewheel-trexid portion 33is of substantially the sameconstruction as thatsl1mvn in the sus ifiied rail-jointanclribs 39 n1 e pruvided -or trnsmithng the strains which said wheeltread ortion receives dire ctly tothe base und a so for bracing the vertioul web. The bearing ribsshims-and nut-r0h1inilxg means shown in ts form am substantinlly thesame as those pmviously de scribed so that a detai-led description ofsmne is nol; necessary. 139

